Brownie at home, June 17, 1948
Brownie and Oren at King Veteran's Home, 1946
Oren - age 8
The Story of Brownie
During World War II, families all over the country volunteered their pet dogs to serve in the Dogs for Defense Program. This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the true story of a family and their beloved dog, Brownie, who served alongside the troops and returned home to become a companion to wounded vets.
At first Brownie's boy, Oren, isn’t sure he wants to send his boisterous best friend to war. But with the help of his parents, Oren decides that Brownie could do a lot of good. Brownie serves faithfully on the frontlines until an injury sends him home from the Pacific islands. His family welcomes him back with open arms. But Brownie is not content sitting around at home—he needs a job. He begins to accompany Oren's mother to the Veterans Home in King, Wisconsin, where she works. There, Brownie finds a way to serve his fellow veterans just as he served his fellow soldiers.
Lovingly illustrated by Aaron Boyd, this heartwarming story gives poignant new meaning to the phrase "man's best friend" and will be a favorite for children and their grownups.
How Brownie The War Dog: Veterans' Best Friend Came to Be
I learned about Brownie’s story at an incredibly painful time in my life. It was 2019, and my Korean War Veteran father Tom Rhode was in the advanced stages of dementia. He needed more care than my family could provide, so we toured the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, as a potential care facility for him. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum had created a museum within the Marden Center at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, and that is where I spotted the sign about young Oren Kendley donating his dog Brownie through the Dogs for Defense program.
I immediately thought this would be a wonderfully unique piece of Wisconsin history to share with children as a picture book and began to research what I could find about Brownie. This led me to the late Oren Kendley’s niece Joan Yohr, who had protected Brownie’s War Dog memorabilia for more than 50 years. She kindly shared her articles and photographs, becoming a dear friend to me throughout the five years that it took from the idea stage to the finished product of Brownie the War Dog: Veterans’ Best Friend children’s picture book published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press in 2024.
Artist Aaron Boyd lovingly brought Brownie and Oren’s story to life and I will always be so grateful for this book project, as may dad passed away eight months after I learned of Oren & Brownie’s story. The Brownie project provided me with something positive to focus on throughout my dad’s decline and passing, as well as a path forward after losing my beloved father.
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Throughout this process, I learned that Brownie is the only known non-human veteran to be buried with human veterans in a veterans memorial cemetery, in the entire world. A very special K9 Veteran, indeed.
In 2025, I was able to fundraise the amount necessary to purchase a life-sized bronze statue of Brownie the War Dog, that was placed by the Commandant House of the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King. Knowing that Brownie’s incredible life story of service to mankind has been honored and that he won’t be forgotten, brings me immense joy and peace.
Kelly and illustrator Aaron Boyd.
Brownie the War Dog: Veterans' Best Friend was a finalist in the Nonfiction- Children’s & Young Adult category at the 2025 MIPA Book Awards.
Kelly with bronze statue of Brownie at King Veteran's Home.
Praise for Brownie the War Dog from Oren's Daughter Ali Griffin
"I like true stories.
I am privileged to share my birth dad’s true story about his dog Brownie the War dog. Thanks to my cousin Joan Yohr sharing the story with author Kelly Rhode Nelson, it has now been published and is available for people to read. They’ve also worked together to create a bronze statue of Brownie so people don’t forget him. Joan was 8 years younger than my dad so has lots of fond memories of him which she has shared with me over the years. Unfortunately he died young at 25 when I was only 16 months old so my mum came back to U.K. with me.
I am very fortunate to have my best friend as my husband and we’ve been married for 49 years have 4 amazing daughters and 12 grandchildren. They have all read the book about their granddad and great granddad and are so proud of him. Makes sense why my dad he had a career as an engineer in the US Air Force, based in Warrington in 1954 when he met my mum in Liverpool, after I was born in 1956, we travelled to Chicago where my dad was based, as a family, sadly for only a short time!
Each time I have visited my family in Wisconsin we have visited my dad’s grave also Brownies who is the only dog buried in a veterans cemetery.
Kelly has informed me the book has been selected by the Wisconsin centre for states 2025 great reads from Great Places title. It will be featured at the National Book festival in Washington DC on September 6 2025 as part of the Roadmap to reading initiative.
My thanks again to Joan author Kelly Rhode Nelson and illustrator Aaron Boyd for making this possible.
I really hope everyone who reads it enjoys our true story of Brownie the War dog." from Ali Griffin Facebook post dated 9/1/2025